


Ghost in the Machine

by shions_heart



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Office, Awkward Flirting, Corporate Espionage, Crush at First Sight, Getting to Know Each Other, Light Angst, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-14
Updated: 2016-08-14
Packaged: 2018-08-08 15:51:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,818
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7763860
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shions_heart/pseuds/shions_heart
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kuroo is the hardworking manager of his office, and his team is like his family. When a mysterious new hire arrives and refuses to integrate, Kuroo takes it upon himself to try and make him more comfortable. </p><p>He's unaware that there's a reason Kozume Kenma keeps himself apart, and that reason could be the downfall of the entire company.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Ghost in the Machine

**Author's Note:**

  * For [curiouslylazy](https://archiveofourown.org/users/curiouslylazy/gifts).



> This piece was commissioned by the lovely curiouslylazy! She wanted corporate espionage (ohoho), and her only specific request was for Kuroo to have glasses. ;P
> 
> I hope you enjoy!

Kuroo walks right past the new hire the day he arrives. It's not until he's reached his office that he realizes that the desk outside his door is no longer unoccupied. And when he steps back out to actually look, he finds himself grabbing a passing Yamamoto, squeezing his arm hard enough for the other man to yelp softly. He drags him into the office and shuts the door quickly.

"What's wrong, boss?! Is there a security breach?"

"Who's that sitting at Kai's old desk?" Kuroo hisses.

Yamamoto follows his gaze, his eyebrows lifting, though the rest of his features relax. "Oh, that's the new guy. Kozume Kenma. Nekomata just hired him to be your new secretary-slash-assistant. You know, since you've been working yourself too hard these days."

He gives Kuroo a pointed look, which Kuroo doesn't see because he's peering through the blinds of his window at his new assistant.

Kozume Kenma is probably one of the cutest guys Kuroo's ever seen in his life, if not _the_ cutest. His hair brushes his shoulders, dark brown save for the tips which are blonde. His nose is round and small, as are his lips, which also seem to form a natural pout. His eyes are large though, large and amber-gold. He's currently frowning slightly at the computer screen in front of him, but that just makes him even more adorable.

Yamamoto snickers behind him. "And here Nekomata said he didn't want to hire a woman 'cause he was afraid she'd distract you."

"If that was part of his plan, he shouldn't have picked such a cute guy," Kuroo says, shaking his head.

Yamamoto shrugs. "He's not bad, I guess. I've seen cuter though. He's kind of . . . off-putting, if you ask me."

" _You're_ off-putting," Kuroo replies, maturely.

Yamamoto frowns, offended. "Just make sure you actually let him help, okay? Shoulder your burdens or whatever. That's what Nekomata said. Just because you think he's cute doesn't mean you can let him get away with not actually working."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Kuroo says dismissively, his mind already going over possible ways to introduce himself.

Yamamoto rolls his eyes and leaves the office. Kuroo straightens, fiddling with the top button of his shirt, wondering if he should unbutton it or leave it buttoned. He takes off his glasses, glad he can still see well enough despite the fuzziness. He runs his hands through his hair a few times, attempting to flatten it somehow, but of course it's no use. In the end he decides to just use his charm at maximum, and he steps out of his office to approach Kozume's desk.

"Hey," he says, leaning against the edge of the desk as casually as he can. He crosses his arms over his chest and gives Kozume his best, most winsome smile. "I'm Kuroo. Kuroo Tetsurou."

Kozume glances at him only briefly before turning his gaze back to the monitor in front of him. He types something, his fingers flying quickly across the keyboard. Kuroo waits for him to introduce himself, but he doesn't say anything.

"You . . . might've heard of me? I'm kind of like the big boss guy around here," Kuroo says after a moment, keeping up his smirk even as he feels some of his confidence deflating.

"I know," Kozume says without looking up.

His voice is surprisingly deep and smooth, and Kuroo tries desperately to think of a way to engage him in an actual conversation so he can hear more of it.

"So, uh, have you worked this type of position before? You must be pretty good for Nekomata to hire you. He's easy-going, but he likes for things to be done well."

"Yeah."

Kuroo blinks, completely at a loss. He's never known anyone to be so difficult to interact with, and he's dealt with the likes of Ushijima Wakatoshi. He's not sure what will happen if he pushes further, though. He doesn't want to lose a new hire on the first day. So in the end he straightens, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Well . . . if you need anything don't hesitate to ask," Kuroo says. "My office is right there." He points but Kozume doesn't look up to follow his finger. He lowers it after a moment. "So, I guess . . . welcome to the company?"

"Thanks."

Kuroo stands there for a moment longer, hoping for something else, a nod or a smile, maybe. But he gets nothing, and so he returns to his office not unlike a dog with its tail between its legs. Sitting at his desk, he lowers his head onto it with a dull _thump_.

_Well, I guess Nekomata doesn't have to worry about Kozume being a distraction after all._

After a moment of wallowing in self-pity, Kuroo sits up, puts on his glasses, and starts working, knowing that the company should come before his love life anyway. Still, he can't help but continue to make glances toward the window that faces Kozume's desk, wondering if the man is truly unfriendly or if he's just shy.

Kuroo decides he's going to find out.

 

 

***

 

 

At this company, everything is about teamwork and cohesion. If everyone isn't on the same page all the time, things fall through the cracks, and Nekomata doesn't deserve that. He can't afford it. It's up to Kuroo and his team to keep things running smoothly. Over time, Kuroo's found that a team runs best when the people on the team know each other and care about each other. He tries his best to make the office feel more like a family than a group of coworkers, and to that end he often organizes lunches or parties so his team can hang out in a more casual, friendly environment.

When he first invites Kozume to their group lunch, the guy declines, shaking his head and keeping his eyes on his work.

"It'd be really great if you could come," Kuroo tries, trying to catch a glimpse of Kozume's expression behind his hair.

"Is it required?"

"Well, no," Kuroo admits, getting the sinking feeling that this isn't going to work. "But it'd be nice if you—"

"No, thank you."

Kuroo bites his lip, chewing on it as he glances toward the door where the rest of the team has gathered. "Come on, I'll pay for you. What do you like? I'll get you anything." He offers a crooked smile, hoping to entice him.

For a second Kozume's fingers hesitate on the keyboard. Kuroo finds himself holding his breath, but then Kozume is typing again and shaking his head once more.

"I'm fine."

"Boss, come on!" Yamamoto calls from the door. "I'm hungry!"

Kuroo frowns over at Yamamoto. "Just give me a second!" he yells back.

"We're going to leave without you! Fukunaga's already downstairs!"

"Okay, okay," Kuroo says, running a hand agitatedly through his hair. He looks down at Kozume, wanting to push more, to see if he can eventually crack that wall that's around him, but in the end he sighs and turns away, joining the others.

  

 

When they get back, Kozume's still sitting where they left him. Kuroo sets down the to-go box he ordered in front of him, before walking into his office without a word. He misses the tiny smile that curves Kozume's lips briefly, before he returns to his work.

The box is empty an hour later.

 

 

 

And so starts a routine. In the mornings when Kuroo comes into work, he drops off a cup of coffee at Kozume's desk, along with a pastry. From careful observation he learns that Kozume likes apple things and doesn't like his coffee too sweet, and he makes adjustments accordingly. Each time he goes to lunch he'll invite him, and each time Kozume refuses, but Kuroo continues to bring him a portion of whatever he has, and it's always eaten by the end of the day.

Kuroo likes to think they're bonding over this routine. Kozume's efficient in his work, though sometimes lazy. Kuroo's caught him playing games on his phone more often than not, but he lets it slide. He wants Kozume to enjoy himself here. He wants him to grow more comfortable with the team and himself. And maybe it's selfish, but he really, _really_ doesn't want Kozume to dislike him.

Besides, it's not as though Kozume isn't doing the work. Most of the time, when Kuroo leaves for the night, Kozume's still at his desk, even as the lights go out around him.

Kuroo starts to wonder if Kozume just doesn't like going home.

 

 

***

 

 

"Hey," Kuroo locks his office door, turning to look at Kozume seated in front of his monitor. "We had lunch kind of early today. You want to go get dinner?" 

Kozume looks up from his phone. "Oh," he says, looking around as if just noticing the empty office.

"Come on," Kuroo says, tapping his fingers on the desk. "You've worked hard today. Let me treat you. It'll be just us."

Another thing he's noticed about Kozume is how he tends to avoid groups. He's seen him speak one-on-one with a few people. He and Shibayama traded Pokémon and talked about their favorite aspects of the new game for an hour or so the other day. And Fukunaga's engaged him in a brief conversation about his cat (though it wasn't so much of a conversation as much as it was Fukunaga showing Kozume all the pictures of his cat on his phone and sometimes giving context in the form of short sentences).

But Kozume still refuses to go on the group lunches, doesn't show up to the parties, and never speaks up in the random discussions that fly around the office on slow days.

 _He's shy then,_ is what Kuroo gathers from these observations.

"Okay." Kozume stands, and Kuroo nearly falls over from surprise.

"Okay?"

Kozume blinks back at him. He grabs his jacket from over the back of his chair and slips his phone inside one of the pockets. He pulls it on, and Kuroo has the presence of mind to step away to let Kozume pass him. He heads for the door, and Kuroo hurries after him.

"All that free food won you over, huh? You're like a stray cat," Kuroo says with a grin.

Kozume rolls his eyes. "I'm just hungry," he says, his shoulders rising to his ears.

Kuroo has to resist reaching out to ruffle his hair. _He's so cute. I can't believe he's actually going out with me. I'm not going to survive this._

He takes him to his favorite restaurant, a small hole-in the wall with dim lighting and a cozy atmosphere. It's a good place to de-stress, and it's open late, which is a bonus. Once they're seated at his usual table, the waitress takes their drink orders.

"You brought a friend this time!" she says, beaming at Kenma.

Kuroo feels his cheeks growing warmer. "Ah, this is my co-worker," he says. "Kozume, this is Hana-san. She's always here when I am for some reason. She can't get enough of me, I guess." He smirks at the young woman, who laughs.

"I'd say it's the other way around," she says with a wink.

"I'm just here for the mackerel, you know that."

"Ah, yes, Mr. I-Love-Fish-More-Than-I-Love-Women. Honestly, you're just like a cat."

Kozume snorts next to him in what could be a stifled laugh. Kuroo's momentarily distracted, turning quickly to look at him and catching the remnants of a smile. He can't help but grin, and once Hana leaves, he sits back, feeling somewhat smug.

"I think that's the first time I've seen you smile," he says.

Kozume's face immediately rearranges itself into a careful mask of indifference, but Kuroo knows what he saw. He reaches over to poke Kozume gently in the shoulder. "You're so tense all the time," he says. "I know I can be intimidating, but I promise I’m not scary."

Kozume snorts again, shaking his head. "You're not intimidating," he says, lifting the menu then to hide behind.

" _No_?" Kuroo says, reaching over to pull the menu down. "Then how come you never want to talk to me? You talk to Shibayama and Fukunaga . . . I figured you were just scared of me or something."

Kozume keeps his eyes on the menu, but Kuroo can't be imagining the way his cheeks are turning slightly pink. "No," he says softly.

"Then what is it?" Kuro prods. He tilts his head, trying to see Kozume's expression past his hair, but Kozume turns his face away.

"Nothing."

"Obviously it's something; otherwise you wouldn't keep avoiding me except for when I need your help with something." Kuro frowns slightly. "Did I do something to offend you?"

"I don't like interacting with people."

"Okay, I get that, but I'm not people. I want to be your friend, Kozume."

Kozume turns back to look at him, a faint frown wrinkling his brow. "Why? So you can get into my pants?"

Kuro nearly chokes on his spit. "What?! _No_."

"You flirted with me the day I started working."

"Oh, so you _did_ know I was flirting."

Kozume flushes, looking away again. He doesn't answer, and Hana returns with their drinks. She takes their orders (Kuro getting his usual, Kenma getting ramen). When she leaves, Kuro folds his arms on the table and stares across at Kenma.

"I flirted with you because I thought you were cute. But I'm not the type of guy to become friends with someone just to sleep with them. I'm interested in you as a _person_ , Kozume. I'm friends with all my co-workers. I think it helps us be a better team. We know each other's strengths and weaknesses and are able to help balance each other out. We have cohesion and things flow smoothly. But you're a complete mystery. No one knows anything about you, and . . . I don't like it. I don't think it benefits the team, and I don't think shutting yourself out from everyone benefits you either. Do you have _any_ friends?"

Kenma purses his lips. "I don't need friends. I'm fine on my own."

"That sounds really lonely to me," Kuroo says, leaning back.

Kozume doesn't answer. He drinks his water, his eyes everywhere except on Kuro. Kuro realizes he should probably back off before Kozume pulls away further. Sighing, he rubs his hand over his face.

"Sorry, I know I can be pushy. We can talk about something else. You play Pokémon Go, right? Do you play any other games?"

Kuroo doesn't miss the shift in Kozume's expression. His eyes brighten, just slightly, but it's enough to ease Kuroo's mind about the night being ruined. He starts to speak then, his voice low but excited, and more words than Kuroo's ever heard him speak before come flowing out of him like a tidal wave.

He tells Kuroo about games he's never even heard of, but he's so cute, practically vibrating in his seat, that Kuroo doesn't mind being completely confused. He sits with his chin in his hand, watching and listening as Kozume goes over features he likes or doesn't like, graphic design, character design, plot development, and more. Kuroo can't help but think Kozume's spent a lot of time alone playing games if he knows this much about so many, but he doesn't point out this observation. He keeps silent, content to let Kozume ramble.

The food arrives and Kozume almost forgets to eat until Kuroo interrupts him and points out his ramen. Kozume flushes then, quickly shutting his mouth and turning to his food. Kuroo grimaces.

"Ah, I didn't mean to make you feel like you shouldn't continue. I'm just worried you'll forget to eat, and you mentioned you were hungry earlier."

"It's stupid," Kozume murmured. "It's just video games."

"It's not stupid if you like it," Kuroo points out. "And I really enjoyed listening to you talk about them."

Kozume shoots him a skeptical glance, and Kuroo puts his hand over his heart. "Honest. You got all excited, your face completely lit up. You looked really—" He cuts himself off, realizing he was about to say something incredibly sappy like "adorable" or "beautiful."

Kozume's watching him, though, expectant, and so Kuroo finishes lamely, "happy."

Still, Kozume seems pleased with this remark, a slight flush coloring his cheeks. He eats his food and the time passes in comfortable silence. Kuroo's already dreading for the night to end, but eventually they finish eating and Kuroo pays, despite Kozume's quiet, "you don't have to."

They stand, and Kozume pulls his jacket back on, having set it aside earlier. Kuroo's chest feels suspiciously tight, as Kozume pulls his hair out of his jacket collar and gives him a tiny smile.

"Thanks," he says, and he appears to be sincere. "This was nice."

"Yeah," Kuroo says, his throat dry, as he nods. 

Kozume gives him a small wave, turning to leave the restaurant then. Kuroo sighs, running his hands over his face, realizing he's in deeper than he initially thought. As he glances down, though, he notices a smart phone on the floor beneath the table. Realizing it must have fallen out of Kozume's jacket, he bends to pick it up.

He heads for the door quickly in the hopes that he can still catch up to him, but just then the phone buzzes in his hand. Instinctively, Kuroo glances down and catches the text that lights up on the screen before it goes black again.

_I need an update. When are you sending me the files?_

There's no name attached to the text, but the number looks familiar and Kuroo feels unsettled. He slips the phone into his pocket, figuring he can always give it to Kozume the next day. Still, the words of the text echo in his mind, and although he's tries to forget about it, they linger until he gets up around midnight and goes online to look up the number.

The results send his heart straight to the floor.

 

 

***

 

 

"Kuroo-san, um, I think I left my phone back at the restaurant . . ."

Kozume stands in his doorway, fidgeting slightly. Kuroo reaches into his pocket and pulls out the phone, setting it in the center of his desk. Kozume must realize something's wrong, because he approaches hesitantly. Kuroo isn't sure what he's feeling as he looks at him. Anger? Disappointment? Betrayal?

He clears his throat.

"You got a text last night," he says, keeping his voice as even as he can.

Kozume freezes, his hand still outstretched toward the phone.

"Yeah," Kuroo curls his hands into fists on the desk. "I thought I recognized the number, so I looked it up. And sure enough, there was Daishou Suguru, senior manager of Nohebi Technologies which, as I'm sure you already know, is our biggest competitor."

Kozume snatches the phone from the desk. He turns to the door as if to flee, but Kuro's already anticipated that, and he's there before he can escape, shutting the door quickly. He locks it for good measure, and Kozume's eyes flash with fear. Kuroo feels sick at this response, but he can't really blame him.

"Relax," he says. "I'm not going to hurt you. I just . . ." He sighs. "You know I can't let you leave with that phone. It might not mean anything to you, but this company is my life. This team is my family. I'm not going to let anyone destroy that, even if I am . . ." He stops again, shaking his head. "Look, just give me the phone and you can go." He holds out his hand.

Kozume shakes his head. "They're not on here," he says quietly, clutching the phone to his chest. He doesn't lift his gaze to meet Kuroo's; instead they remain fixedly on the floor.

Kuroo's gut clenches. "You already sent them?"

Kozume shakes his head again. "I-I . . . I haven't given him anything."

Now Kuroo's confused. He tilts his head, narrowing his eyes slightly. "Why not?"

Kozume mumbles something. Frowning, Kuroo takes a step closer, "what was that?"

Kozume lifts his head, and his eyes glimmer strangely.

_Tears?_

"I didn't want to hurt you," he says then, his voice barely above a whisper. "It didn't mean anything, before. When I first got here, I was just here to do my job. But . . . you started reaching out to me and . . . you were so kind and generous that I-I . . ." He's faltering, fingers turning white around his phone, eyes skittering everywhere.

He squeezes his eyes shut then, inhaling deeply. "I was going to delete everything. When I got here . . . I was going to delete them."

Kuroo blinks at him blankly. "Won't you get in trouble with Daishou for that?"

Kozume opens his eyes, and this time they're steady. "He's not my boss," he says, his voice still quiet but firm. "You are."

Kuroo doesn't trust what that does to his heart. In a burst of what is probably stupidity, he finds himself asking, "Do you want to go out again tonight?"

Kozume starts, his eyes widening in apparent shock. "What?" he asks.

"I, uh," Kuroo flounders for a moment, before deciding to just be straightforward for once. "I like you. I thought you were cute before, but after last night I realized that I really, honestly like you. And maybe I'm an idiot for trusting you when you came here under false pretences, but I'm willing to take that chance. If you'll agree to go out with me."

Kozume blinks rapidly. "You really are an idiot," he says.

"Yeah," Kuroo agrees. "But you said you were going to delete the files. You basically just pledged your loyalty to me. And I want to believe you. I want to go out to eat with you. I want to talk about games with you, maybe play them sometime. I want to see your smile and hear your laugh. So . . . we can put all this behind us. We can pretend like I never saw that message, like you were never working for Daishou . . . what do you say?"

Kozume stares at him for a long time, and Kuroo's heart crawls up into his throat. But eventually Kozume nods.

"I'd like that," he admits softly.

Kuroo's not a complete idiot, however. He stands behind Kozume and watches as he deletes the flies of information he'd gathered on their company to send to Daishou. He'd rather cleverly hidden them on the computer itself, but Kuroo makes sure Kozume wipes them from the hard drive completely. But he doesn't tell the rest of the team what happened, and when he picks up Kozume from his apartment that night, he tells Kuroo to call him "Kenma."

And so, things go back to the way they were.

 _No,_ Kuroo thinks, as he sits beside Kenma in the restaurant and listens to him explain a complex move on his PSP game. _Things are better than they were. Now I have him. And he has me._

**Author's Note:**

> http://shions-heart.tumblr.com/


End file.
